Youth groups and students in Nepal took to the streets after the country's prime minister approved plans to ban social media platforms, and now the country is effectively being run over Discord.
As reported by The New York Times, Nepal experienced civil unrest after the youth of the South Asian nation made it clear how they felt about losing access to social media, including Facebook and WhatsApp, among other platforms. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli accused the companies running these platforms of not appointing the appropriate people to make sure they're following what the Nepali government expects from them. Others believe that several social media campaigns accusing the government of corruption are to blame, however.
So far, police have killed approximately 30 protestors, while demonstrators have set multiple government buildings on fire, which caused the Prime Minister to resign and flee the country. The country is now being led by the military, which has enacted strict curfews in Kathmandu, the capital. It's unclear who is expected to lead Nepal going forward, but Nepalis have since held digital versions of a national convention over Discord.
The Discord channel, which featured thousands discussing the future of Nepal, is being run by members of the civic organization, Hami Nepal. Chiefs of the Nepali military have spoken with the organizers of the chat, which received national television coverage, to ask if they could put forth a nominee for an interim leader. Several potential candidates were discussed, and earlier this week they settled on the former chief justice, Sushila Karki. The following day, Thursday, Sept. 11, she met with Nepal's president, Ram Chandra Pudel, and the chief of the army.
There are now over 145,000 people in the Discord server, making it the single largest political use of Discord in its history as a platform. Carneige Endowment for International Peace expert Steven Feldstein called the whole thing "pretty unprecedented."
A recent high school graduate, Mr. Lamichhane, said that the Discord server became more important than many expected it to be. "You could say the Discord server is negotiating with the army, because all the things that are said is ultimately reaching the army headquarters,” he said. "We are the people on the ground."
As reported by The New York Times, Karki has since been named the leader of Nepal, making her the first woman in charge of the country. She has earned a reputation as being staunchly anti-corruption. She will form a cabinet and is expected to call for an election next year. She said she accepted the nomination because "those young boys and girls, they asked me, they requested me."
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